Galanthus nivalis
Snowdrop
Common names: Small Snowdrop, Common Snowdrop
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Pot size
- from 2 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −15 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The snowdrop is the very first herald of spring, often pushing its nodding white bell-shaped flowers through the last snow as early as February. It thrives in the wild under deciduous shrubs, forming dense white carpets over time. All parts of the plant are poisonous.
Care instructions
Plant the bulbs in September or October about 8 cm deep in humus-rich, moist soil at a semi‑shaded spot under shrubs. The best time to plant is "in the green", right after flowering, since dry bulbs establish poorly. Leave them undisturbed, and they will naturalize on their own.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingSep–Oct
HarvestFeb–Mar
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, moist, well-drained
Give the snowdrop a humus-rich, loose and evenly slightly moist soil that does not dry out completely even in summer, best under deciduous trees, where natural leaf humus collects. The soil should be free-draining, because the bulb does not tolerate waterlogging; chalky to neutral soils are ideal, and slightly acidic ones are still tolerated well.
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar
Shortly after flowering in spring, lay a thin layer of well-rotted leaf compost or leaf mould around the plants without working it in, so that the bulbs stay undisturbed. That is quite enough as an annual supply for this light feeder; avoid nitrogen-heavy feeding, because it encourages only foliage and weakens flower formation.
Overwintering
Snowdrops stay in the ground all year as bulbs and need no winter protection; they are hardy far below our lowland winters. Let the foliage die back completely after flowering instead of cutting it off, so that the bulb gathers strength for next year.
Propagation
Methods
- Offsets
- Division
- From seed
It is best to propagate snowdrops shortly after flowering in March, while the foliage is still green. This method is called “splitting in the green”. Carefully lift the bulb clump from the ground with a garden fork, gently pull the daughter bulbs (offset bulbs) apart and make sure that a piece of the basal plate is attached to each offset bulb, because the feeder roots form there. Replant the bulbs immediately, as they must not dry out, about 7 to 8 cm deep and 5 to 10 cm apart, in humus-rich, fresh, partly shaded soil. Dividing every 3 to 5 years keeps the stand flowering freely. For sowing, sow freshly ripened seed straight after harvest in a seedbed or seed tray; the seeds are cold-stratification seeds, so they need a cold period over winter and germinate irregularly over one to two winters. Seedlings take around 3 to 4 years to the first flowers. Double or special varieties (e.g. ‘Flore Pleno’) are often sterile and can in any case be propagated only vegetatively by offset bulbs. Sowing never gives an exact copy of the variety, so with varieties stick to division.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Umbellifers and alliums confuse each other's pests (carrot fly, onion fly).
For example CarrotCeleriacDillParsleyFlorence fennelCoriander and 21 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
rose family (Rosaceae)
You can plant garlic and chives under strawberries and roses; their scent repels aphids and other pests.
For example StrawberryAppleRaspberryClimbing rosePearAronia and 59 more species in the catalogue
Source: Bio-Gärtnerei Mixed Culture Practice
Rather not
legume family (Fabaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example PeaBush beanPole beanBroad beanSnow peaWrinkled pea and 36 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Snowdrop yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
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